Treacherous Love
by MusicChiller27
Summary: The love of Imogen Crowell's life dropped dead with no cause. She is lead to Mystic Falls in search of the Original Family. They point her in the direction of the Salvatore Brothers and Gilbert Family. She aligns herself with Klaus Mikaelson to take out the two families, but when she finds out the truth, Imogen finds herself at a crossroads and she's not sure whose side to take.
1. Chapter 1

****I recently got a new job, so this story is going to be slow-going. Hopefully I can get a chapter written every couple days, so be patient. Hope you all enjoy!****

**Treacherous Love**

Chapter 1

Cavon was the love of her life.

Both were born at the start of the 1900's and met in the 1920's, falling in love with each other at first sight. His warm brown eyes and long dishwater blonde hair captivated her along with his incredible muscular body. Cavon worked for his uncle's trading company and was often gone for weeks at a time, traveling to find product in the north. Even though it was during the Great Depression, Imogen was the happiest woman in the world. However, she had a deep dark secret she hadn't told Cavon – not until it came to the point where he nearly died from an unknown illness. On his deathbed, Imogen confessed her secret while holding her love's hand, tears flowing from her leaf green eyes.

"I am a vampire, Cavon." She murmured quietly, watching his eyes widen and proved it by showing her fangs.

Imogen had started to leave, but Cavon stopped her by grabbing her hand and their eyes met once more. Cavon requested her story on how she became a vampire and Imogen couldn't deny him anything. The man was on his deathbed, after all. She explained being 18 years old and had married a man, refusing to reveal his name. On her wedding night, he turned into a monster, raped her and turned her into a vampire, force feeding his blood. Then snapped her neck. Truthfully, Imogen had no recollection of who this man was because she'd been sold by her father in order for the rest of the family to survive.

"And you don't recall his name?" Cavon asked once her horrific story concluded, never once releasing her hand. "Do you truly love me?"

Tears slid down Imogen's cheeks. "Of course I do, Cavon. You're everything to me and more." She kissed his hand and then his mouth, knowing whatever illness he had would not be passed onto her. "I love you more than my own existence."

"Then…" Cavon trailed off when a lethal cough came out of nowhere and made him breathless for a solid hour, his chest vibrating with pain.

"Ssshhh you need rest, my love." Imogen crooned soothingly, stroking his hair with her fingers and tried to stand, but Cavon once again stopped her.

"Prove it." He wheezed out, chest rising and falling rapidly. "S-Show me how much you l-love me…"

Confusion filled Imogen's teary jade eyes. "I-I don't understand…"

Instead of talking, Cavon grabbed a nearby dagger off the nightstand by the burning candle, their only light, and held it to his throat. "Turn me or I die tonight. I am a dead man either way, but you can save me, Gen. Please save me or end my torment." The pain in his chest increased rapidly along with his breathing.

Imogen never turned another person into the monster she was and didn't want to condemn Cavon to the same life. He was forcing her hand though and she didn't know if living without him was an option. Why had she come here tonight to tell him her secret on his deathbed? Maybe a small part of her hoped he wanted to be a vampire so they could be together for eternity. She didn't know. Staring into his eyes, Imogen's conscience went back and forth until she saw the tiniest drop of blood slide down Cavon's Adam's apple. He had dug the blade into his skin and the smell of his blood permeated the air, igniting her hunger.

"That's it, you want me to be with you forever and you cannot deny it." Cavon coaxed, digging the dagger in a little more and closed his eyes when she tore it from his hand. "Gen…"

"You have no idea what you ask of me this night." She whispered, standing from the bed and walked over to look out the window, the snowflakes falling gently from the sky. "There is a process to go through and – if you do this, there's no turning back, Cav. There will be no more light in your life, just darkness. You must consume human blood in order to survive, which means attacking innocence and taking without asking. You will be immortal, unable to die unless staked through the heart or your head ripped from your shoulders. Are you truly prepared for all of that?"

No hesitation followed Cavon's response. "Whatever hell it takes to be with you forever, I will go through with a smile on my face. Just as long as you are beside me when it's all over. Please Gen, end my suffering." He pleaded, pushing himself up on the bed enough to sit up and felt his shaky arms throb with pain.

Imogen closed her eyes, not able to deny the love of her life anything and flashed back to his side, pulling the covers away. "If we do this, it is done my way. Do you understand me?"

Cavon nodded, licking his suddenly dry lips while watching his beautiful woman undress before him. Then his knickers were slid off his body next, his cock standing at full attention. The illness could not keep him from feeling desire course through him and developing an erection. Imogen kept eye contact with him the whole time, climbing on top of him to straddle his waist and ripped open his long sleeved top before tearing it off his body. Even sick, he was quite a specimen and she longed to feel his skin against hers, both of them gasping and groaning when she lifted her backside to settle on his throbbing shaft. Imogen wasted no time in rocking her hips, taking his hands to rest on her breasts and moaned at his fingers plucking her nipples. The fire crackled beside them, heating both of their blood and Imogen bit into her wrist, two puncture wounds left behind.

"Drink. It will heal the illness and having vampire blood in your system is step one." She quickly explained, never stopping the slow methodic roll of her hips to drive his cock in and out of her. "We will become one."

Not thinking twice about it or any consequences to follow, Cavon covered his mouth over the puncture wounds and swallowed a few mouthfuls, the blood surging through his body. Suddenly, he felt alive and better than he had in ages, the strength returning to his body. He bolted upright on the bed and wrapped her legs around his waist, their pelvises colliding while the bed of straw sagged beneath their weight. Neither cared, too engrossed in driving each other to the edge only they could fall over together. Imogen held onto him, loving the newfound power her blood gave him, but hated the next part to follow. They both climaxed together hard and fast, bodies slick with sweat and Cavon's heart thrumming.

"See you on the other side, my love."

The sound of his snapping neck echoed throughout the room and Cavon's lifeless body fell back on the bed in a heap. Imogen cried on his chest, hating she had to kill him, which was the second step to becoming a vampire. The third happened hours later when Cavon's eyes snapped open and an unbelievable thirst quickly followed, rubbing his neck. Then his gaze moved to the woman standing by the window, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. Imogen turned around, cradling a baby in her arms - a sickly baby with a grey complexion and Cavon knew exactly what happened.

"The plague." He murmured quietly, watching his love nod and kept his eyes fixated on the baby. "What are you doing with it?"

Imogen swallowed hard, hating how monstrous she felt, but at the same time the baby was condemned to die either way. "This is the final step to becoming a vampire, Cavon. You are in transition and need to feed in order to complete it." Her eyes moved to the baby in her arms. "This baby will have the same fate either way and won't remember anything. Drink from her, give her peace and then we must leave the village. The villagers believe you are dead and they are on their way to bury your body. If they come here and you are standing before them, they will kill you instantly – both of us. Time is against us, now drink."

How could he turn into a vampire from a newborn? Cavon felt the hunger increase, his throat burning viciously and before he knew it, the baby was in his arms with his new fangs sunk into her neck. He felt the life quickly drain from her small body and he didn't stop until she was dry, stopping her small heart from taking another beat. They wrapped the dead baby in a blanket and left, burying her on the outskirts of town with the rest of the victims that died from the mysterious illness.

"How do you feel?" Imogen asked him while they traveled down the dirt path, running at first and then finally stopped when the sun began rising over the horizon. "We must find a witch to make you a piece of daylight jewelry." She held up her hand, showing him her emerald green gemstone ring set on a silver band.

"That is how you walk in the sun?" Cavon asked, mesmerized by how clear his vision was and the wonderful touch from Imogen when their fingers brushed together.

Clothes flew everywhere and they spent the majority of the day in a darkened shack making love. A few weeks after Cavon was changed, they came across a witch with the last name Bennett and paid to have a daylight ring made for Cavon. It was another emerald matching Imogen's and they celebrated making love again. That was the closest to marriage both ever came. Training Cavon at first to hunt and feed without killing was difficult, but they always treated the victims with respect by burning their bodies. It wasn't until 50 years passed by Cavon finally got the hang of it and admitted to Imogen he enjoyed the kill. Imogen wasn't angry with him, killing more people than she could count and together they traveled the world in a whirlwind of lust and blood.

By 1985, Imogen was ready to settle down for a while with Cavon and found a small cottage in Scotland. They were both originally from the United States and had traveled across seas, by feet no less, to explore the other side of the world. Scotland was beautiful, cool and peaceful, lands stretching out for miles on end. It reminded her of the old country instead of the modern era during that time. Cavon opened a shop to fix classic vehicles, compelling the owner to sell to him at a reasonable fair price. Imogen was a homemaker, selling pies and breads of all kinds after compelling a woman who was the town's best baker to show all of her tricks. Naturally, the old man and woman were also husband and wife, on the verge of dying from cancer, so they were put out of their misery by Imogen and Cavon, respectfully.

It wasn't until the year 2012 everything changed. Imogen had been alive over 200 years – 2010 to be exact – and Cavon's 92nd vampire birthday had passed. They had stayed in Scotland and were the most beloved couple, nobody in town knowing anything about vampires. No vervain to worry about burning them or witches messing with their daylight jewelry. Life was peaceful, lovely and Imogen thought it would last forever. She would come to learn a valuable lesson that NOTHING can last forever and nature always had a balance with any form of magic. That is how vampires were created – by magic. She'd been at home waiting for a loaf of fresh banana bread to pop out of the oven when Cavon came stumbling through the door, clutching his heart.

"Gen…" Cavon wheezed out and collapsed against the kitchen table, knocking the chairs on their sides in the process.

"Cav!" Imogen rushed over to him, fear in her jade eyes and could see the color on his face changing. "No! Cavon, stay with me! Stay with me please!"

"Gen…I-I love y-you…" Were his last words.

It was no use. Cavon desiccated before her eyes, turning to a piece of grey stone. Imogen sobbed violently on his body for hours, hitting it a few times and didn't understand how Cavon died. There was no stake through his heart and his head had not been ripped off. No vervain in his system. Nothing. He just…dropped dead in front of her with absolutely no cause of death. Imogen waited until nightfall when everyone in the small town was at home with their loved ones and took Cavon's body into the woods nearby. She buried his body, not able to burn it and sobbed the entire time, trying to wrap her mind around what happened.

"I swear to you, Cavon, I will find out what happened and make them suffer for taking you away from me. I promise, my love." Imogen vowed on his unmarked grave and kissed his daylight ring, slipping it on her other hand unable to part with it.

Scotland was long forgotten after Cavon's mysterious demise. Imogen traveled all over Europe, Asia, Japan, Africa, Australia and finally found an answer 6 months later in France of all places. A woman by the name of Nadia befriended her, both quickly figuring out they were vampires. One night, they were heavily intoxicated and Imogen spilled her secret about Cavon's death, not understanding how it happened or why. In turn, Nadia revealed the same thing happened to her close friend, Meridian, a little over 6 months ago and she was on the hunt for not only her friend's cause of death, but her long lost mother – Katarina Petrova. The name didn't ring a bell to Imogen, but Nadia had given her valuable information.

"There is a family by the last name Mikaelson. They are known as the most powerful vampires in the world – the Original Family. I was told 4 months prior to now they may have the answer on what happened to Meridian. So if you track them down, you will surely find your answer on what happened to Cavon."

"And where might I find the Original Family?" Imogen demanded, drinking the last of her wine and waited for the answer, arching a slow brow.

"You did not hear this from me, do you understand?"

Imogen nodded. "Cross my heart."

"Mystic Falls, Virginia. Overseas in the land of opportunity and greed." Nadia snorted, not caring much for the United States and took another shot of tequila. "From what I heard, they are currently residing there, but I don't know why or for how long."

All the memories from the past stopped when Imogen drove past a sign and squealed her tires to a halt, backing the vehicle up. "Mystic Falls." She read thoughtfully, taking in a deep breath and tightened her hands around the steering wheel.

She had finally arrived and was one step closer to finding out what happened to Cavon.


	2. Chapter 2

****Even though I am a fan of Delena, this story won't due well to have them together, so I've changed a few things with the Vampire Diaries story plot to suit my own. They don't call it 'fanfiction' for nothing, after all. Hope you all still enjoy the story!****

Chapter 2

A festival.

People from all the neighboring counties, along with residents of Mystic Falls, took over the downtown area. It was blanketed in a carnival atmosphere with rides, games, a ton of a junk food to purchase and blaring music. Imogen had perfect timing. She could sneak through the town without being noticed due to all the chaos and question a few residents privately. Maybe get a meal or two out of the deal. Imogen had to be careful and discreet though, figuring targeting the opposite sex would be the best option. Men over the decades have dropped to their knees just to touch her, so Imogen had zero confidence in her beauty. Compulsion also helped tremendously, though seduction she had down to a science. It would be like taking candy from a baby and she'd be kind enough to leave the humans targeted breathing by the time her interrogation ended.

The sun reflected off her fiery red hair currently pulled back in a braid resting over her shoulder, jade eyes peeled for any sudden movement. Imogen had her ears open too completely, listening to everything people said while passing by. It was little difficulty to find her first target – a young man with deep blue eyes and short cropped blonde hair. From what Imogen gathered, his name was Matt and he'd been speaking to another curly blonde haired woman. Imogen hadn't caught her name though. Black skinny jeans showed off her toned body and perfect backside along with the long sleeved emerald top she wore, a tan camisole beneath and matching black knee high boots on her feet. It was mid-October, chilly, though Imogen was immortal so she could walk outside naked and never worry about getting sick. However, a role had to be played if she wanted to find the Mikaelson family.

So far, nobody had mentioned them.

If Nadia lied to her about their whereabouts, Imogen would not hesitate to hunt her down and drive a stake through her heart. Or rip her head off – depending on the circumstances. Bottom line, Nadia would not live much longer if she lied, Imogen silently vowed, not in the mood to be sent on a wild goose chase. It wouldn't hurt to get a little friendly with one or two humans in Mystic Falls though. Walking further into town while people finished hanging decorations, Imogen made sure to bypass the blonde on her way and didn't make eye contact.

Matt couldn't help noticing the new bombshell and nudged Jeremy, both of them admiring her pert backside in the skinny jeans. "Damn." They grunted simultaneously, each thinking of a way to approach her already.

"DAMN!" Matt cursed when he slammed the hammer down on his thumb.

Jeremy snorted, shaking his head. "Donovan, watch what the hell you're doing."

"Shut up, Jer." Matt grumbled, trying to will the throbbing in his thumb to disappear and went back to hammering the nail in the wood. "And don't think about talking to her. You have a girlfriend, remember?"

"I wasn't going to hit on her or anything, but I can look. So can Bonnie. Besides, she had a nice ass. You gonna try talking to her?" Jeremy knew how shy Matt was when it came to women and loved screwing with his friend.

"If she's at the festival tonight, sure." Matt turned his head to watch the redhead keep walking and wondered if he had a shot with her, even for one night. "Let's get back to work and finish this."

The festival celebrated the dead Founding Family members throughout Mystic Falls. People called it the Festival of the Dead, claiming one night a year loved ones could speak to those lost. Imogen read the pamphlet to get a feel for what town she stepped into and had a feeling other supernatural beings resided here. No wonder the Mikaelson family had planted roots here, especially in a town celebrating things others wouldn't. The Founding Families Imogen knew about, thanks to Nadia, who had been obsessed with Mystic Falls, but never voiced why. It didn't matter to Imogen. All she was focused on was finding out what happened to Cavon and why he dropped dead out of the blue. As far as she knew, there was no expiration date being a vampire – unless Imogen was mistaken. If that was the case, she needed answers and figured her time to find them was running short.

People laughed and carried on, lighting candles for the lost loved ones while they were being passed out. The sun had set over the horizon and nightfall approached, everyone lighting their candles. Imogen took one to light for Cavon, missing him more than words could say. She hadn't really grieved his death, too hell bent on finding out why he died and suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks. Tears trickled down her cheeks at the memory of her beloved, the man she wanted to spend all of eternity with. He was gone, dead, and she would never see his smiling face again or feel his strong arms comforting her when something didn't go right in their lives.

"Are you alright?"

Imogen continued staring into the candle flame, slowly shaking her head and felt the person step up to stand beside her. The smell of aftershave permeated the air and lashed out at Imogen's senses. Familiarity of the scent did not escape Imogen either. It was the same as earlier when she passed by him with his delicious muscular arms and baby blue eyes. Matt Donovan, she gathered his name while listening to the conversation he had with his friend, Jer. She figured it was short for Jeremy, but never caught his last name. He wasn't the target, the man standing beside her was.

"Who is your candle lit for?" She asked in a soft voice, still keeping her eyes focused on her own and could hear Matt's heart speed up a little more.

"My sister." Matt responded, feeling a draw to this redhead for some reason he couldn't explain. "Yours?"

"Someone very close to me." That was all the information she would give Matt Donovan. Imogen turned to finally face him the same time Matt did, baby blue locking on jade. "So handsome and strong…" She slid her hand down his t-shirt covered chest to rest over his beating heart and dropped the candle, stepping closer to him. "You remind me a lot of him."

"Of who?" Matt was entranced by her beauty and the tears drying on her cheeks, reaching out to brush one away with his fingers. "Oh – the someone very close to you."

Imogen smiled sadly at the thought of Cavon, his eyes never leaving hers. "Yes, but perhaps it's time to move on and heal." Their mouths were mere inches from each other. "Maybe you can help me with that."

"Who are you?" Matt murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulled her as close to him as possible, resting his forehead against the redhead's.

"If you want to truly find out, come with me, Matt Donovan."

Imogen was a master of manipulation and didn't need to use compulsion, unable to use that power. To do so, she would have to spend time finding the piece of jewelry Matt wore laced with vervain. It wasn't hard to detect, but as long as she kept up the human act, he would never find out what she truly was. Then again, Imogen was desperate to find out information regarding the Mikaelson's. Matt wanted this redhead more than the air he breathed currently and took her hand, guiding her behind the kiosk pressing her against the wall.

"Not here."

"Where then?" Matt mumbled against the soft flesh of her neck and slid his strong hands down her sides to grip her jean covered backside. "Nobody can see us here…"

"Quite the aggressive one, aren't you?"

Matt responded with action, lifting her up and wrapped her legs firmly around his waist, his mouth never leaving her neck. It felt great being in the arms of a strong man again and Imogen craved to get lost in the feeling. She couldn't though. Reaching down to his left wrist, Imogen swiftly ripped the vervain bracelet off of him and ripped his lips from her body, their eyes locking again. Instantly, the compulsion began to work and Imogen took over Matt's mind, controlling it anyway she saw fit.

"Relax and keep holding me tight against you. Don't be afraid either. I won't hurt you, Matt." Imogen caressed the side of his face gently, admiring how handsome he was. "I'm looking for a certain family in Mystic Falls and I need information on them. So answer any of my questions truthfully, understood?"

Matt nodded mutely, not moving an inch.

"Have you heard of the Mikaelson family?"

Matt nodded, raising a brow. "Of course. They're the Original family – the first vampires ever created."

So he knew about vampires. How interesting, Imogen surmised thoughtfully, and continued on with her questions. "Do they reside in Mystic Falls?"

Another nod.

"Where?"

"On the outskirts of the town in a huge mansion. I wouldn't recommend going there though unless you have a death wish."

Imogen smirked at that response, pulling a small pad of paper out of her back pocket along with a pen. "Write down the directions for me." She ordered, watching Matt do it without making a sound besides the pen lightly scratching the paper. "Very good, thank you for being cooperative. Now set me down, forget about ever meeting me and enjoy the rest of the festival."

When Matt came out of his trance, he seemed confused on why he stood behind a kiosk and walked back out into the public eye, catching up with his friends. Imogen watched the exchange from a safe distance and looked down at the directions Matt Donovan wrote down for her, pressing it against her heart. Soon, she would find out the truth about what happened to Cavon and exact revenge for his death, no matter what she had to do. It was also a very smart decision for Nadia not to send her to the wrong location of the Original family or else she would've been dead within days. Slipping back inside her car, Imogen memorized the directions and put the vehicle in drive, peeling away from downtown Mystic Falls heading for the Mikaelson mansion.

* * *

><p>"Damon, why won't you come to the festival tonight?"<p>

The 174 year old vampire stood in front of the roaring crackling fire with a glass of bourbon in his hand, twirling it back and forth slowly. "You know why, brother." He snorted at the audacity of the question. "You better go. Don't want to disappoint Elena."

Stefan lowered his eyes from his big brother in shame and guilt, hating how much pain Damon currently felt. "Damon…" What could he say to make this right? Nothing; absolutely nothing. "We never meant for this to happen…"

3 years prior, Stefan had come back to his home of Mystic Falls in search of a normal life – or as normal as a vampire could live. He fell in love with Elena Gilbert, who was the spitting image of the woman that created him and made him into the monster he was today. Katherine Pierce or Katarina Petrova. Elena was her doppelganger, actually. Both Salvatore brothers wanted Katherine from the moment she stepped foot in their family home. And had her they both did, but not without consequences. Much like their infatuation with Katherine, love, or whatever it was the same thing happened when they met Elena Gilbert. Both slept with her, both loved her and Stefan thought for a moment he'd lost Elena to Damon. She dated Stefan first before Damon, but slowly Elena's feelings changed and magnified onto Damon once she was turned with the eldest Salvatore's blood. It wasn't by choice either. Stefan couldn't come to terms with Elena's vampirism, not right away, and ended up in Damon's bed.

What they thought was a happy ending for Elena and Damon quickly turned into a nightmare. One of Elena's best friends, Caroline Forbes, found out Elena had been sired to Damon because of her deep raw feelings for him prior to being turned. Elena still had a hard time with her vampirism and hurting people, so Damon invoked the sire bond to shut her humanity off. In turn, it made her lethal and dangerous, resorting to killing innocent people to prove a point. It took a while, but Damon helped Elena flip her switch back on when he snapped Matt Donovan's neck in front of her. Matt was Elena's childhood friend and it was enough to bring her back to normal for the most part. Damon thought by helping her through the turmoil, it would make Elena love him without the sire bond, since shutting her humanity switch off severed it.

Such wasn't the case, however.

Graduation day came with Elena choosing to be with Stefan instead of Damon, leaving him with a shattered heart. She had promised throughout the year during the search for the cure her love for Damon wasn't due to the sire bond. It was though. With the sire bond broken, Elena was free to choose who she really wanted to be with and it was Stefan. It was always Stefan, just as she claimed 2 years ago prior to being a vampire. Damon wanted to leave Mystic Falls and never return again, to get on with his life away from Elena Gilbert, but something held him back. Something kept him from jumping in his car and hitting the road to find his own happy ending the way Stefan had.

"Just leave and be with her, Stefan." Damon swallowed down another shot of bourbon and filled it again, his back remaining towards his brother.

"Stefan, are you ready to go?" Elena asked, walking inside the mansion and stopped short at the sight of Damon standing in front of the fireplace. "Oh – sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

Stefan didn't know how to make things right with Damon, not after Elena bounced between them for the past 3 years before finally making her choice. "Damon, maybe you'll meet someone else at the festival…"

"Yeah, it's going to be fun and you can even sneak in a few sips from people since so many will be there." Elena knew how much Damon enjoyed human blood from the vein as opposed to a blood bag from the local hospital. "We can all hang out and-"

"And what, Elena?" Damon snapped and flew over to stand in front of her, aquamarine eyes nothing more than ice. "Hang out and pretend like everything is hunky dory while you two are in your happy world together? Pretend that we didn't have sex and I didn't make you scream my name multiple times?"

"Damon…" Stefan's voice held a warning tone, slowly shaking his head.

Elena swallowed hard at Damon's vicious yet truthful words and didn't know how to respond to any of them. "I-I'm sorry, I'll be out in the car when you're ready, Stefan." Then she flew out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

"You're a dick sometimes, brother." Stefan grunted, not appreciating Damon's attitude toward his girlfriend.

"Yeah well, somebody's gotta be the villain and it might as well be me since you have the hero hair-do." Damon remarked coldly, slamming back another tumbler of bourbon. "Better get going, don't want to keep her waiting or someone else may snatch her up."

Stefan had nothing more to say to his brother and stalked out of the mansion to join Elena, not seeing Damon explode by hurling his tumbler into the fire out of pure rage.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Painting.

Each brushstroke developed the current masterpiece in front of him, bringing a hint of joy to Klaus Mikaelson's life. It was the only hobby he deemed worthy to spend his time on. Art and music, the classics especially. They soothed his tormented soul that had been walking the earth for over 1,000 years. He was not only an Original vampire, but the Original hybrid and it was nearly impossible to kill an Original. Only one thing could, but Klaus made sure to rid of all possibilities for his death to come or any of his still living and breathing siblings. Rebekah and Elijah. The rest were gone. Rebekah had her own place in Mystic Falls and Elijah was nowhere to be found, living his own existence somewhere in the world. Klaus didn't care about them or anyone else for that matter, only about what he wanted in life.

"It is impolite not to use the front door when entering someone's home." He commented, feeling a presence behind him and didn't bother turning around, continuing to paint.

"I'm not in a polite mood."

"I gathered as much."

Narrowing acidic eyes on the owner of the mansion, Imogen contemplated what chances she had of snapping his neck. It would give her enough time to ransack the mansion and hopefully find a clue to Cavon's death. However, the sheer power exuding from this vampire stopped Imogen from making a move and all she did was stand there stiffly.

"I'm looking for someone – a family, actually." Imogen made the mistake of touching one of the paintbrushes that had a wooden handle and felt a hand wrap around her throat a second later.

Klaus did not appreciate his private belongings being touched, especially by an outsider. "You will show me some respect in my own home, girl." He demanded, not bothering to use compulsion on the weakling vampire. "Perhaps using some manners when asking will get you an answer faster."

He had a smooth accent, no doubt from Europe, but Imogen couldn't pinpoint exactly where. "Release me now." She ordered, wrapping a hand around his wrist and stared into deep ocean blue eyes full of annoyance and a bit of intrigue.

This woman definitely had spunk and Klaus could appreciate someone with a backbone. Most vampires who crossed him cowered in fear, yet she did not. Her fiery red hair and deep leaf green eyes were indeed breathtaking; pure determination etched her smooth features. Klaus took pity on her for a moment or two, his curiosity peaked on why she invaded his private quarters and interrupted his painting.

"I will only ask you once and then my hospitality will vanish." Klaus warned in an almost gentle voice, gliding a few fingers down her cheek to her line of her jaw. "Or I could simply compel the truth out of you. Yet, I will give you a chance to tell me yourself."

There was no reason to fear this vampire, not even with his sultry dark tone of voice or his mannerisms. "I can't answer a question if you don't provide one." She remarked coolly, keeping a calm demeanor to keep her head from being ripped off her shoulders.

Klaus chuckled at her tenacity and took a step back, giving Imogen a closer look at his handsome face. Not only were the deep blue eyes captivating, but his dishwater blonde hair and small goatee surrounding soft looking lips did as well. Matt Donovan had stirred desire up within her body and if Imogen had to sex this vampire up to get her answers regarding Cavon, she would without blinking.

"Point taken, love." Klaus flew over to where the bar sat in his private study and poured both of them a drink, crooking a finger at the beautiful intruder. "Have a drink with me. It is the least you can do since you decided to invade my home. Do not be afraid, no harm will come to you unless I'm provoked."

Hesitation finally ensued. "Look, I'm not here for a friendly chat…"

"There is no reason for us not to be cordial." Klaus pointed out, tasting some of the finest wine the world had to offer. "Come sit down and let us discuss your reasoning for the intrusion. And MAYBE I will let you walk out of here alive."

Imogen had no choice except to take up this dangerous vampire on his offer and slowly walked over, sitting down on the far end of the couch. She took the tumbler of wine handed to her and brought it to her nose, sniffing to make sure no trace of poison could be found. Her brow lifted at the man's chuckle and Imogen finally downed the whole thing in one gulp, setting the glass on the table in front of them. Her eyes never left the owner, keeping her hands clasped in her lap and completely focused, every part of her body coiled ready to defend herself if need-be. Something told Imogen there would be no fighting with this man though.

"You mentioned a family you were searching for. But before I find out that answer, I want your name. I prefer to do this on a name to name basis, so out with it." Klaus sipped his wine, enjoying the flavor and sank further into the couch with one leg folded on top of the other.

"Imogen. Now yours."

Klaus was indeed a man of his word and would not break it. "My name is Niklaus Mikaelson, but I prefer to be called Klaus."

Mikaelson. That was the only name Imogen could register in her mind and tears filled her eyes, not believing she found the family Nadia told her about. "Klaus Mikaelson." She echoed, mouth turning dry as a desert and the tears did not vanish.

"You've heard of me, I see." Klaus did not know how to feel about that, but kept the smile on his face. "Imogen, quite an old worldly name and has a certain charm to it. Last name?"

"Sorry, not revealing it."

"Fair enough." Klaus didn't care either way, sensing zero threat from Imogen and finished his wine, refilling the glass. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, tell me why you have come and invaded my home, Imogen."

There was no point hiding the answer from him, not when he was the reason she intruded in the first place. "You." She answered truthfully, lowering her eyes to the table away from him. "Or someone within the Mikaelson family."

Now Klaus's interest in her magnified, intensity burning in his eyes. "And what do you want with my family exactly?" He tried keeping the tautness out of his voice and failed, the twitch in his hand returning to enfold her neck.

"An answer or two. I am not here to harm anyone, only whoever is responsible for the death of someone very close to me." Somehow, Imogen remained strong when she admitted to her reason for being here and blinked the tears away. "I was sent here by a friend of mine overseas who has heard of your family – the Original family. So Klaus Mikaelson, are you inclined to give me the answers I need? Or am I wasting my time here?"

"Depends if I have the answers, love. May I ask who sent you to track us down? You said a friend of yours, correct?"

She would not betray Nadia, not after the rewarding lead that put her one step closer to finding out what happened to Cavon. "Katherine." She remembered the person Nadia had been searching for and decided to use her name instead of her friend's. "Never caught a last name, though."

Klaus raised a brow at that name, but didn't question it for the time being. "You are awfully brave coming here and invading an Original vampire's territory. I admire that." He scooted a little closer to Imogen, now seated in the middle of the sofa. "You mentioned someone close to you died. Why don't you enlighten me about that?"

Imogen didn't move an inch, not even when Klaus moved toward her and curled her feet beneath her, making sure to keep her boots off the sofa. "His name is Cavon…and he was the love of my life." She looked up at him finally, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "And he dropped dead with no stake to the heart, no heart removal and no decapitation. No vervain in his system either. Nothing – he just…died and I need to know why."

So much pain resonated from her body and Klaus fed off of the waves of sadness, his arm sliding along the back of the sofa until they were face to face. "I recently lost someone close to me as well, love. Maybe not recently to regular beings, but to vampires it seems like yesterday. My brother, Kol, was murdered by other vampires that I have yet to sink my teeth into. Perhaps his death had something to do with Cavon's."

"How?" Imogen whispered, desperate for answers and closed her eyes when a few more tears fell, Klaus wiping them away with his fingers. "Please tell me how he died and why his death could be linked to Cavon's. I beg of you, Klaus Mikaelson. I'll do anything."

Klaus rested his forehead to hers, breathing Imogen's scent in and cupped her face in his strong hands, fighting the urge to take her pain away. "How long ago did he die?" He asked quietly, bringing her closer to him until his lips brushed more tears away from her cheeks.

"A little over 7 months ago." It took Imogen sometime to find a way to the United States, or so she kept trying to convince herself. "Please tell me about your brother."

"For this conversation, we will need something with a higher volume of alcohol, love. Don't move." Klaus flew from the sofa to grab a bottle of whiskey and arrived back in the blink of an eye, holding two tumblers in his hands filling them. "Drink up."

Imogen didn't argue, swallowing down the generous dose of whiskey and enjoyed the burning sensation in her esophagus. "Thank you." She murmured softly, watching Klaus take her tumbler to refill it again. "For someone who broke into your home, you're being awfully kind and courteous to me."

"I do admit, I've done a few wretched things in my day in order to survive, but I am not the monster everyone makes me out to be." Klaus admitted softly, refilling his own tumbler and clinked his against Imogen's. "Kol was murdered by the Gilbert family of Mystic Falls. I will not go into specifics, Imogen, but I fear he is the reason Cavon died. You see, my brother was an Original vampire and with his death came a very heavy price."

"I-I don't understand…"

"Kol died 7 months ago in the Gilbert family home, after a plot was created against him. They were searching for a vampire cure, a myth and nothing more. Nobody had ever laid eyes upon it, but they were convinced it existed." Klaus didn't bother mentioning the fact he was the one who initiated the search in hopes of turning Elena Gilbert back into a human or the fact her blood would make him a new army of hybrids sired to him.

Cavon died for a cure – a cure for vampirism. This made no sense. "What did Kol's death have to do with Cavon's and what do you mean being an Original comes with a heavy price?" She demanded, pulling back from Klaus a little and gasped when his arm encircled her waist, their noses practically touching.

"When an Original dies, Imogen, so does their entire bloodline. Apparently, Cavon was part of Kol's bloodline and that is why he dropped dead the moment the Gilbert's ended his existence." Klaus explained, pulling her closer to him and brushed his mouth against her forehead. "I am deeply sorry for your loss, love. I do wish there was something I could've done to prevent your pain."

Even through the alcohol-induced haze, Imogen caught every word Klaus said and felt fresh tears burn her eyes. "S-So you're saying – if that's the case, why didn't I die with him? He was generated from my blood…"

"He couldn't have or you are right, you would be dead with him. So apparently, someone else fed him blood before you and their blood turned him instead of yours." Klaus basically said in a nice way Imogen had been cheated on by the dead love of her life. "You lucked out, if it's any consolation…"

"I-I don't know who my bloodline runs through. No – NO this can't be! This-" Imogen swallowed her gasp down when Klaus cupped her face in his strong hands and locked eyes with her, the compulsion instantly working.

"You will remain calm and keep the vengeance in your heart for the Gilbert family." Klaus ordered, keeping his voice soft and low, deciding the way to gain revenge for Kol's death without getting his own hands dirty would be through this woman. "As far as you remember, Cavon was loyal to only you and you know without a doubt he was killed by the Gilbert's. Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, to be exact. This information you received from your friend, Katherine…" He stopped, tossing a twist in the mix of his compulsion with Imogen. "Katherine Pierce is the one who lead you to Mystic Falls and told you about Kol's death that lead to Cavon's. As far as I'm concerned, I am merely a friend of yours you met overseas years prior and now you are here for a friendly visit. Also, you are staying here for the time being to make up for lost time. Do you understand everything I've said, Imogen?"

Imogen nodded, her voice robotic while in the compulsion trance of Klaus. "Yes. Kill the Gilbert family to avenge Cavon's death. We are friends, close friends and I am staying here to make up for lost time."

"Good, who is the one who told you about Cavon's death and lead you to Mystic Falls?"

"Katherine Pierce."

Klaus smiled, lifting Imogen to plant her on his lap and sat up a little on the sofa to be eyelevel with her, breaking the compulsion. "Did you say something, love?" He asked, stroking her arms gently up and down while her mind gathered all the information he compelled on her.

"No, nothing at all. I'm just so glad to see you again, Klaus." Imogen felt his hands slip beneath her shirt to caress the bare skin of her back and sighed softly.

"So tense, Imogen." Klaus grew hungry for this woman, wanting her in his bed and between her thighs more than human blood from the vein. "Do you wish to show me how much you've missed me?"

She felt like Klaus had been part of her life for centuries and felt her body flush with new warmth. "We're close friends, Klaus, remember?" She gasped when his mouth sealed to her neck and didn't push him away, looking up at the ceiling.

"Friends enjoy one another's company in all different kinds of ways." Klaus stood up from the sofa with her legs wrapped around his waist and flew upstairs to his bedroom, depositing her in the middle of his bed. "And I for one have missed you and waited long enough to see you again."

Before Imogen could protest further, Klaus's mouth covered hers and nothing more was said, just the sounds of her moans echoing off his bedroom walls.


	4. Chapter 4

**_**Sorry for the delay with an update on this story, but I only write on VD when I'm feeling it. Tonight's episode inspired me, so enjoy! Hopefully I can start getting an update out at least once a week from now on. We'll see, just be patient**_**

Chapter 4

"Come on man, that's cheating!"

"It is not!"

"Is too!"

"Why don't you – YOU JUST BLEW ME UP!"

"That's what you get for not paying attention, dick. Now play the damn game."

It was moments like these Matt cherished most with his best friend, Jeremy Gilbert. Granted, they were a few years in age, but both were adult men and fierce protectors of their friends and family. Tyler Lockwood was too, which is why he'd left Mystic Falls shortly after his mother, Carol Lockwood's, murder at the hands of Klaus. It was to teach Tyler a lesson not to plot Klaus's demise and Tyler couldn't live with the guilt. Matt was given the deed to the mansion and Tyler made him swear not to let vampires in, not even their friends, wanting it kept a vampire-free zone. He promised, only letting Jeremy stay with him because they were so close and there were far too many painful memories at his own house to live peacefully.

Jeremy was part of a group known as the Brotherhood of the Five –The Five-, which was created in 1111 by a dying witch. They gained paranormal augmentations that would aid them in their hunt for vampires, including heightened reflexes and ultimate human strength. The spell she cast bound them together by a Hunter's Mark, spreading up their right arm and across their upper torso, only visible to the supernatural. It was a map to locate the destruction for all vampires – what Klaus wanted to find and use on Elena to turn her into a human again, so he could create more hybrids.

A cure for vampirism.

It was the reason why Kol Mikaelson was killed by Jeremy and Elena because any Original vampire slaughtered, their entire bloodline went down with them. In order to complete the Hunter's Mark, vampires had to be killed by Jeremy's hand and Elena came up with the plan to eliminate Kol. He turned quite a few vampires in his 1,000 years on the earth, so when they drove the white oak stake –the only object able to fully destroy an Original- the mark was completed and they went in search for the cure, not thinking of the consequences Kol's death would bring. Consequences such as Cavon's death, which nobody in Mystic Falls knew about besides Klaus, who was responsible for the death of his brother because of his selfish desire to turn Elena Gilbert human again.

As far as the cure went, by the time the group of friends and enemies arrived off the coast of Nova Scotia, the cure had been taken years prior. Nobody knew who it was either, the cave completely empty and devoid of any cure for vampirism. Kol Mikaelson's death was unnecessary and both Gilbert siblings hadn't gotten over the slight guilt of killing an Original and other vampires he sired for no reason. Yes, he tried killing them a few times, but in the end all Kol had tried to do was protect people from getting hurt and his existence destroyed for his troubles.

Once the Hunter's Mark was completed and they took the journey, it just disappeared mysteriously. Jeremy chalked it up to completing whatever the mark was supposed to do and left it at that. It didn't make sense, but sometimes the supernatural didn't have answers and things happened that had no explanation as to why. Whatever the reason, Jeremy's girlfriend, Bonnie Bennett, helped channel his urge and strong desire to kill vampires into unconditional love for her. His deep raw feelings helped stem the rage the Hunter's Mark caused him and thus he could have a normal relationship with his vampire sister, Elena. Nobody had mentioned what happened in Nova Scotia, each person taking it to their grave and everyone preferred it that way. Enough people, including vampires, werewolves and other supernatural beings, had died for nothing and they hoped the bloodshed had finally come to an end.

"Want a beer before you kick my ass again?" Matt asked, socking Jeremy in the arm and stood up from the couch with a grin.

"Sure dick, grab two." Jeremy muttered good-naturedly, finishing off his first one and checked his phone when it buzzed in his pocket, smirking at the message Bonnie sent him.

Matt walked in seeing a devilish smile on his friend's face and shook his head, tossing Jeremy the beer making it land in his lap. "Don't be sexting your girl while we're gaming, man. It's rude." He cracked open his own beverage, taking a long swig of it.

"Hey, I don't wanna hear it. You ditched me and our friends for some hot redhead at the festival. Not that I blame you. If I wasn't with Bonnie…" Jeremy stopped talking when Matt stared blankly at him, quirking a brow. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" Matt was confused by what Jeremy was talking about, leaning forward on the couch keeping the game paused.

Was Matt screwing with him? Jeremy couldn't tell considering his blue eyes had pure perplexity in them. "Matt, what's the last thing you remember about the festival?" He asked evenly, squeezing his hand around the can of beer currently resting on his lap.

Jarring his memories, Matt didn't recall meeting a redhead at the festival or hooking up with anyone, eyebrows furrowing together. "I – I lit a candle for Vick. I walked around for a bit and then…caught up with you guys. You were with Bonnie and Elena was with Stefan. So I was there with you guys, what do you mean I ditched you?"

"Do you remember the redhead we both said had a nice ass earlier that day?" Jeremy pried, worried for his friend and set his beer on the coffee table, ignoring Bonnie's texts for the moment.

"Somewhat, but she doesn't really jog my memory…" Matt didn't know if he should be concerned with Jeremy's vexed mien. "What the hell is going on, Jer?"

What the hell happened to Matt? He was gone a good hour when arriving at the festival and Jeremy distinctly remembered the redhead leading his friend away. There were so many people at the festival they disappeared out of his sight and he didn't see Matt until an hour later. Something wasn't right. Why couldn't Matt remember the redhead? Was he compelled? Maybe Elena could help him find answers, but for now Jeremy didn't want to worry Matt. There was no reason to tell him unless the assumption turned to fact. Jeremy just hoped Matt wasn't compelled because, if he was, a new vampire was in town and the redhead could be behind it.

"Nothing, never mind, I was thinking of someone else." Jeremy tried smoothing it over with Matt, but it wasn't easy to do.

Matt didn't believe Jeremy for a second, deciding to talk to other people that were at the festival to see if he had odd behavior that night. "Ready to play the game?" He grunted, downing more of his beer and Jeremy did the same thing, the rest of their time spent continuing the trash talking and bantering about the game.**  
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* * *

><p>"Bonnie, something isn't right."<p>

"But Jeremy, we were supposed to go out tonight and actually spend time together." Bonnie grumped, feeling like her boyfriend was neglecting her lately and heaved a disappointing sigh. "Are you absolutely sure you're not blowing this out of proportion? Maybe it was someone who looked like Matt or…"

Jeremy immediately cut her off. "Bonnie, I know what I saw and I'm not making this up. There's a redhead that's new to town and you know any new people are instant suspects. I just wanna talk to my sister about it and see if she's heard anything. If it's not too late, we can still make the movie." He had to know if Matt was compelled the night of the festival and if they had a new danger in Mystic Falls to worry about. "I'll make this up to you, I promise."

Bonnie rolled her watery eyes and crossed one leg over the other. "That's what you said last time, Jer. Don't bother coming to get me tonight. Just…go talk to Elena and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bonnie…"

"Good night."

The abruptly ended and Jeremy growled, tossing his cell phone on the passenger seat. He hated arguing and fighting with Bonnie, especially her stubbornness. It drove him crazy. Then again, it was also one of the many things he loved about her. Jeremy would find a way to make things right with his girlfriend, but right now Matt could be in danger. If he ignored the threat and took Bonnie out instead, whoever possibly compelled Matt could get to him again. Jeremy's imagination was on overdrive ever since finding out supernatural beings existed and his Hunter was slowly coming out. He wouldn't hurt Elena or Stefan though, making no promises on the other older Salvatore brother. Thankfully, Elena was no longer in a triangle between them and she'd chosen Stefan instead of Damon to be with. Jeremy couldn't stand Damon and the feeling was more than mutual.

"Elena!" He called out, entering the Salvatore boarding house 15 minutes later and didn't flinch when she flew to meet him.

"Finally! What took you so long, Jer? I was worried about you." Truthfully, his text messages had scared the hell out of her and she hadn't told Stefan about them yet either. "Come on, Stefan is in the study." She had no idea where Damon was hiding and preferred it that way, leading her brother down the hallway.

Once inside the study, Stefan retrieved Jeremy a stiff drink and ignored Elena's disapproving look, having a feeling the hunter needed it. "What's going on, Jeremy?" Stefan asked quietly, the fireplace roaring and crackling with life behind them.

Elena took a seat beside Stefan and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. "We're here for you, Jer. Don't forget that."

Nodding, Jeremy promptly slammed the tumbler of bourbon and held onto the glass to keep his hands busy. "Something happened to Matt at the festival." He lowered his gaze to the tumbler, rolling it back and forth in his hands.

Elena and Stefan shared a confused look with each other. "Jeremy, we saw him today…" Why did her brother think something happened?

"Start from the beginning." Stefan squeezed Elena's hand, silently telling her to let Jeremy say what he wanted and then they could have their turn to talk.

"The day of the festival, Matt and I were working on one of the kiosks. We both noticed a redhead we didn't recognize walk past us. She was beautiful, but I remember she had red hair for sure. Anyway, Matt said something about talking to her if she was at the festival that night and I think it happened." Jeremy knew he didn't make sense in his explanation, but Stefan encouraged him to continue. "Here's the part that worries me. He doesn't remember."

"Doesn't remember what?" Elena tried following her brother and swallowed hard when his intense eyes met hers. "Jer…"

"Sorry." He looked away from her and back at the fire, once again focusing on the fire. "I saw him with the same redhead that night. The same redhead who passed by us, the one Matt wanted to meet. I KNOW I saw them together, but…Matt doesn't remember. I asked him what was the last thing he remembered and he said lighting a candle for his sister."

Jeremy had been in love with Vicki Donovan, Matt's older sister, who ended up being turned into a vampire by Damon and killed by Stefan in order to save Elena's life. She couldn't handle vampirism well, had a stubborn wild streak and was into drugs, getting Jeremy hooked on them as well for a short period of time. He never stopped thinking about her, -though his love had transferred to Bonnie- part of his heart always belonging to Vicki, no matter how long he lived and breathed on this earth or who he was with.

"What do you mean he doesn't remember?" Now Elena was alarmed, standing up from the couch and Stefan stayed where he was, letting her pace in front of the fireplace.

"Are you absolutely sure you saw a redhead with him that night, Jeremy? You weren't drunk or maybe the guy looked like Matt and-"

"NO!" Jeremy roared, suddenly standing up and whipped the empty tumbler into the fireplace, the flames erupting dangerously high up the chimney. "I know what I saw! I'm not blind or stupid! I know he was with a redhead that night and I KNOW he was somehow compelled to forget about her! God, you sound like Bonnie now! I'm not making this up!"

Elena had to tread lightly when it came to her brother because of his Hunter's curse, at least that's what she referred to it in her head. "Jeremy, calm down. Nobody is saying you're lying or making this up, okay? Please, focus on me and breathe." If Stefan worked Jeremy up any further, it would result in one or both of them hurt at the hands of her own brother and Elena refused to let that happen.

Jeremy didn't mean to explode, but it was frustrating when everyone he trusted and talked to thought he was making scenarios up in his head. "Matt's in danger, Elena. I'm telling you, he was compelled. I don't know how I know, but I do. Maybe it's this Hunter crap I have running through my veins. Unless you can give me a legitimate reason why he disappeared for an hour straight at the festival and then joined us, I'm going with compulsion. There's no way it took him an hour to light a candle for Vicki."

"Sorry." Stefan murmured, not knowing what to say and kept his mouth shut, letting Elena handle her brother. "So let's say he was compelled, you're saying it's this mysterious redhead you two saw?"

Jeremy nodded affirmatively. "She's new to town and we haven't had the best record with visitors in this place." He pointed out, walking over to the small bar behind the couch to pour another stiff shot of bourbon. "Bottom line, there's a new threat in town and they've already targeted Matt."

"Stefan, maybe we should do some investigating in town and see if anyone has seen a redhead." Elena suggested softly, looking at her boyfriend with pure worry for her friend's wellbeing as well as her brother's. "We have to protect Matt."

"Alright." Stefan agreed, wrapping an arm around Elena's shoulders to kiss the top of her head and felt her lean back against him. "Jeremy, you're staying at the mansion right?"

"For now, yeah." Jeremy already knew what Stefan wanted him to do before the words came out of the vampire's mouth. "I'm on my way there, but I wanted to come over and talk to you guys about this since the mansion is vampire-free."

Elena understood that, nodding along with Stefan. "We'll ask around and see if anyone has spotted a new redhead. You keep your eyes and ears open too." She stepped away from Stefan to wrap her arms around Jeremy, hugging him close. "Everything will be alright, Jer. I promise."

Unbeknownst to the vampires and hunter, another person had overheard the whole conversation as well, deciding to do their own investigating separately. Mystic Falls was his home and if anyone was going to end up destroying it, a redheaded vampire definitely wouldn't do the trick. Sipping a tumbler of blood, a smirk curved the vampire's lips before turning and walking back to his room, trying not to let the pain in his heart overtake him at the sight of Elena with Stefan.


End file.
